Decorative covering for vanity cases, coin banks, and other receptacles



Ml'ch 11, 1930. D H, ZELL 1,749,795

DECORATIVE COVERING FOR VANITY CASES, COIN BANKS, AND OTHER RECEPTACLES Filed April "Z5,v 1929 xNvENToR aw'd. Z @Il m ATToRN Y.

UNITED, STATES Patented Mar. 11, 1930 PATENT OFFICE DAVID H. ZELL, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK DECORATIVE COVERING FOR VANITY CASES,l COIN BANKS, AND OTHER RECEPTACLES Application led April 25,

This invention relates to decorative coverings for vanity cases, coin banks and other receptacles of the type wherein the receptacle is provided with a side wall or closure hingedly mounted upon one of the body walls of the receptacle.

Itis the primary object and purpose of the invention to provide means whereby in the opening movement of the hinged wall or closure, the flexible `decorative covering material thereon which extends around the edge of the receptacle body will be prevented from bulging or buckling, thereby obviating excessive strains upon such material at the hinge joint tending to severely crease or crack the surface of the material, and thus mar or detract from the ornamental appearance of the article.

In one practical embodiment of my invention, I provide separate sheets of the flexible covering material such as leather cemented or otherwise securely Xed to the outer faces of one side wall of the receptacle body and to the hinged closure member, and the material on the latter member extending beyond4 the hinged edge thereof and loosely over the back or rear edge wall of the receptacle body in simulation of the binding of a book. The free edge of this sheet of covering material is extended upon the opposite side of the receptacle and beneath the edge of the covering material thereon and to the same, elastic means is attached. This elastic means automatically operates, as the closure is moved to its open position toV draw the unattached portion of the covering sheet thereon around the edge of the receptacle to maintain the same taut and smooth, thus preventing the development therein of wrinkles, creases or cracks.

It is also a further general object of the invention to provide a simple and effective means for the above purpose, which will not add materially to the production cost' of such articles as produced under present methods of manufacture.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in the improved ornamental covering for vanity cases, coin' banks and other receptacles, as will be hereinafter 1929. Serial No. 357,891.

more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, 4and subsequently incorporated in the subjoined claims.

In th'e drawing, wherein I have illustrated severalY simple and practical embodiments of the invention, and in which similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views,-

Figure l is an edge View of a vanity case or other receptacle provided with my present improvements;

Fig. '2 is a bottom plan view thereof;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 3*3 of Fig. 2, the hinged side or closure for the case being in its closed position and showing one application of my improved ornamental covering material thereto; y

Fig. 4.- is a similar view showing the hinged closure member in its open position, and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional View illustrating a slightly modied form of the device.

Referring in detail to the drawing, as will be noted from reference to Figs. l and 2 thereof, I have illustrated the invention as applied to a case or receptacle which simulates the general formof a book and in which one of the book covers is represented by the lid or closure for the receptacle. The body of the receptacle generally indicated at 5 may be of any suitable construction, and includes a bottom or side wall surrounded by upstai'iding marginal walls constituting the front, rear and opposite end edges of the case. Upon the rear body wall 6 of the case, the closure member 7 is hingedly mounted along one of its longitudinal edges as shown at 8. Preferably, the case body and the closure member 7 consists of sheet metal stampings and to the outer surface of the closure plate, a relatively thick sheet of heavy cardboard or other material indicated at 9 may7 be adhesively attached. A similar sheet of material l0 is also secured to the outer surface ofthe bottom wall of the case.

To the outer face of the rear wall 6 of the case body, a strip of cardboard or other materia'l extending the full length thereof is secured as shown at ll, said strip having a rounded or convex surface l2 which merges into a rounded edge of the sheet of material secured to the bottom wall of the case. The material 9 at the hinged edge of the closure member is similarly beveled or rounded as at 13. It will be noted that one edge of the strip 11 is spaced from this hinged edge of the closure member when the latter is in a closed position.

rThe Vcardboard or other material 10 on the bottom wall of thev case is faced with' a sheet of leather or other suitable ornamental covering material shown at 14 smoothly secured thereon by a suitable adhesive. Adjacent to the rear edge of the case in suitably spaced relation to the strip 11, a longitudinally extending narrow slot 15 is formed through the material 1,0, and at one side of this slot, the innerface of the sheet 1() is beveled as indin cated at 16 tol provide a'longitudinally extending recess of substantial width between the sheet 10 and the bottom or side wall of the case. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the edge of the ornamental covering material 14 at this siderof the slot 15 projects slightly beyond the edge of the beveled face 16of the material 10'." This projecting edge ofthe material 14 may be treated with a suitable solution to stillen the same and is preferably provided with a longitudinally extending groove or corrugation 17.

The material 9 on the closure member 7 is also faced with the flexible ornamental Vcovering sheet 18 which is firmly secured by a suitable cement or adhesive over the entire area thereof, and includes a free or unattached portion 19 extending` beyond the hinged edge of the closure member. This portion 19, of the flexible material extends smoothly over the convex surface 12 of the strip 11 and upon the bottom side of the case, the edge thereof being extended through the slot 15 and underlying the edge of the covering sheet 14. To this edge of the part 19 of the covering sheet 18 elastic straps 2O are suitably attached at one of their ends, the other ends of these straps being firmly cemented or otherwise secured to the part 10 of the bottom of the case body.v

The edge portion of this part 10, over which the portion 19 of the flexible covering sheet extends, is provided with recesses indicated at 21 adapted to accommodate the ends of the straps 2O when the member 7 is in its closed position, as seen in Fig. 3 of the drawing.

It will be apparent from the above description that while the case is closed, and the straps 2O are elastically elongated or stretched, the part 19 of the flexible covering sheet 18 on the closure member is tightly drawn andheld upon the convex surface of the strip 11.` The free edgeportion of this part 19 of the cover sheet extending through the slot 15 and underlying the edge of the other .cover sheet 14, renders inconspicuous the line of demarkation between the two cover sheets and forms what appears to be a depression extending adjacent to the parallel with the groove 17. Thus to the casual observer, these two interruptions in the plane surface of the covering material on the bottom of the case appear asornamental char-v acteristics of a single continuous cover sheet.

In order to carry out this impression and for purposes of symmetry, theflexible cover 'f sheet 18 on the closure member may also be provided with similarly located parallel ings, and in'repe'ated opening and olosingofV the cover member, the exible material is severelycreased and eventually develops surface cracks along the hinged edge'of the cover. Thus this flexible material soon be-V comes unsightlyV and detracts from thel ornamental appearance of the case.V By means of the present improvements however, it will be noted from reference to Fig. 4,-that as the lid or closure member of the case is swung toits open position, the elasticstraps 20V contract and draw the edgeof the part 19 of the cover material on the closure member inwardly through the slot 15'and maintain the same in snug close fitting engagement. upon the rounded or convex surface 12 of the edge strip 11. The swinging movement of the closure member to its open position is limited by contact of the edge offthe part 9 thereof with the edgeiof the strip 11 so that said closure member can not be swung beyond a position substantially in parallel relation with the rear edge wall of the case. In this manner, severe flexing or creasing of the ornamental covering material at the hinge line between the movable closure member and the body wall ofthe case is prevented.

In Fig. 5 of the drawings, I have shown Y a slightly different form of the` invention in which the flexible covering sheet' 14" on the bottom of thel case, terminates at one edge of the slot 15 formed throughthe sheet of 1 cardboard or other material 10v at a compar-A atively sharp inclination, and ywhen the closure member of the'case is in yits closed position, theY free edge of the part 19. of the cover sheet thereon terminates at the opposite edge of said slot. The elastic straps 20" u have bearing contact against the opposite edges of the slot at the inner and outer faces of the part 10 and as the-closure memberV is swung to the open position, the walls of the slot provide guides for these bands as they contract so that the edge of the flexible" Y coyer sheet 19 will be lpulled inwardly into said slot. In this case, it will therefore, be

noted that as the edge of the part 19T does Y;

not underlie the edge of the other cover sheet 14 When the case is closed, this slot Will be plainly observable. However, I may of course if desired, provide a continuous strip of the elastic material instead of spaced bands and of the same color as the covering sheets so that this material being located in the slot l5 would render the same less conspicuous.

From the foregoing description considered in connection With the accompanying drawing, the construction and several advantages of my present invention Will be clearly understood. W'hile my improvements are especially designed for use in connection with book form metal vanity cases or coin banks, it will of course be understood that the invention can also be advantageously used in connection with ornamental receptacles employed for various other purposes.

Also, While I have disclosed herein one embodiment of the essential features of the invention, it is to be understood that in practice, the details thereof might be variously modified,while attaining practically the same desirable results. Thus, for instance, other equivalent means than the elastic Straps 2O may be provided for the purpose of automatically maintaining the desired smooth snug fitting contact between the flexible cover sheet and the rear Wall of the case body during the opening and closing movements of the lid or closure member for the case. It is therefore, to be understood that I reserve the privilege of resorting to all such legitimate changes in the form, proportion and relative arrangement of the several elements as may be fairly incorporated Within the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

I claim:

l. A book form structure including a body having a. back or rear edge and a cover member hingedly mounted thereon, an ornamental flexible facing sheet covering the side Wall of said body, an ornamental iiexible covering sheet secured upon said cover member and having a free portion projecting beyond the hinge line of the cover member and around the rear edge of said body, and means connected with the edge of said free portion of the covering material to maintain the same under tension and in close snug fitting con tact With the rear edge of said body during the opening and closing movements of said cover member.

2. A book form structure including a body having a back or rear edge and a cover member hingedly mounted thereon, an ornamental flexible facing sheet covering the side Wall of said body, an ornamental flexible covering sheet secured upon said cover member and having a free portion projecting beyond the hinge line of the cover member and around the rear edge of said body, the edge of said free portion of the covering material 'underlying one edge of the facing material on the side of said body, and means attached to said side of the body structure and to said edge of the flexible material on said cover member to maintain the same under tension and in close Contact upon the rear edge of the body structure during the opening and closing movements of the cover member.

3. A book form structure including a body having a back or rear edge and a cover member hingedly mounted thereon, an ornamental flexible facing sheet covering the side Wall of said body, an ornamental flexible covering sheet secured upon said cover member and having a free portion projecting beyond the hinge line of the cover member and around the rear edge of said body, the edge of said free portion of the covering material underlying one edge of the facing material on the side of said body, and a plurality of elastic straps attached to said side of the body structure and to the free edge of the flexible material on the cover member to maintain the latter under tension and in close Contact with the rear edge of said body structure during the opening and closing movements of said cover member.

4. In combination with a book form metallic receptacle consisting of a body structure and a closure member therefor hinged to the rear Wall of said body structure, ornamental covering means for said body structure and the closure member consisting of a facing sheet of ornamental material secured upon the side Wall of said body structure, a backing strip secured to the outer side of the rear wall of said body structure and having a convex surface, a sheet of ornamental flexible facing material secured upon said closure member and having a free portion extending beyond the hinged edge thereof and over the convex surface of said backing strip, said free portion extending upon the side of said body structure and having its edge underlying an opposed edge of the covering material secured to said side of the body structure, and means for automatically maintaining said free portion of the flexible covering material on said cover member under tension and in tight contact with the convex surface of said backing strip, in the opening and closing movements of said closure member.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have signed my name hereto.

DAVID H. ZELL. 

